Darkness Before Dawn
by Fantastic Flying Ferret
Summary: The sequel for Angels of Darkness. Change, it can be for the good and for the bad. The new Hogwarts year has started to growing unease, the world has changed around them but are they all ready for it? Are they ready for the battles ahead? Time will tell


Chapter 1: Another Year Another Train Ride

Hermione Granger stood in the middle of platform 9 ¾ impatiently tapping her foot and staring at the platforms clock while struggling to keep a hold of crookshanks, who was constantly hissing at any animal that passed them.

Finally, with 5 minutes to spare, Ron and Ginny Weasley came flying through the invisible barrier. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as they started to sprint toward her.

"Is it really that difficult to be on time?" Hermione asked.

"Hey, we're here aren't we? Come on lets go find a compartment before the train drives off." Ron replied, very out of breath.

They were hastily ushered aboard by a very disgruntled looking train guard who slammed the carriage door just as Ginny scrambled aboard. Walking down the crowded corridors they found full compartment after full compartment. Toward the end of the train they finally found a compartment with only two people, one was completely wrapped in a thick, expensive looking black cloak and the other was leaning against the window reading a magazine.

'It's either here or the compartment with all the weird first years."

As soon as the compartment door opened, Linus dropped his magazine.

"We were wondering when you'd get here." He grinned.

Harry pulled himself out of his cloak with a yawn and a wave. Hermione startled Harry when she ran toward him pulling him in to a hug.

'Oh, I forgot how cold you are!" Hermione said.

Linus laughed.

"Hermione don't throw yourself at a vampire! You never how they'll react!" Linus said, teasingly.

Hermione immediately stood up, slightly pink in the cheeks. Harry rolled his eyes at Linus.

"Hermione its fine don't listen to him, he's an idiot."

Linus maturely stuck out his tongue.

"Harry what are you doing back on the train? It's great to see." Ginny said.

"Dumbledore's let me have a second chance at school and Demitria told me I had to take the train like everybody else. I could fly faster than this train moves."

"Show off." Linus coughed.

Harry just grinned, shoving his cloak into a bag.

"I feel like i haven't seen any of you guys in ages, how is everyone?" Ginny asked, smiling.

Harry and Linus' smiles faded. Harry turned to gaze out the window and Linus flicked through his magazine. Ginny, Ron and Hermione exchanged a confused glance.

"You saw everyone at Remus and Tonks' wedding." Linus pointed out.

"I know, but it seems like so long ago. The only person I've seen since then is Roland." Ginny blushed.

"When was that?" Ron asked, suddenly sitting up stiff as a board.

"He stopped by to say hello." Ginny said, shyly.

"Why didn't i hear about this?" Ron asked, incredulous.

Harry, Linus and Hermione all snorted. Ginny rolled her eyes, her face now matching her hair.

"Honestly Ron, I don't tell you everything."

Ron's expression was now a comical mix between confusion and anger.

"So Harry how's Evangeline?" Hermione asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah because we all now know what Roland's been up to." Linus smirked.

Ginny reached over to slap him.

"Shut up!" She cried.

Harry shrugged and then sighed.

"Evie's," He paused "Stressed, I guess."

Hermione looked over toward Linus who only nodded in agreement.

"Why?" Ron asked.

Harry turned back to the window while Linus fidgeted in his seat.

"You guys have heard about the protest marches at the ministry right? About the new department?"

"Yes we have. The prophet writes about them nearly every day." Hermione shook her head.

"Idiots." Ron muttered.

Linus smiled and nodded his head. Harry sighed, turning away from the window again to face them.

"Well, because of that, Demitria has been spending a lot of time at the ministry helping Remus and Alinta Cain with the new department setup that she has barely been at home, Vladimir's been running the city when she isn't there. Now other vampire's aren't happy with her, they think she is abandoning her duties as Queen and that now putting pressure on Evangeline to take her mother's place." Harry said.

"Then why doesn't she do that?" Ron asked.

Linus sighed.

"Eve doesn't want to be Queen."

* * *

"Ron, seriously, where do you put all that food?"Linus asked.

The entire school was shuffling out of the great hall after the welcome feast was over and once again Ron had won the silent 'who-can-eat-the-most' competition.

"Hey, when you come from a large family you learn to eat fast and as much as you can, otherwise you get nothing."

"That's his excuse and he's sticking to it!" Dean Thomas laughed.

The other Gryffindor boys laughed along with him, while Hermione and Ginny just looked disgusted.

"Harry, can you eat normal food at all?" Neville asked.

Harry shook his head.

"Ever?" Seamus asked, seemingly surprised.

"No, never. Honestly just the smell makes me ill."

"Harry's on a very strict liquid diet." Linus smirked.

Harry just rolled his eyes while everyone else chuckled.

"So they let the bloodsucker back into Hogwarts." A very familiar voice called over the crowd.

They all turned to see Draco Malfoy's smirking face looking at them through the crowd.

"I'll be sharpening a stake with your name on it Potter."

Crabbe and Goyle snickered into their beefy hands. Linus started to growl, a sound no human throat should be able to make.

"Just ignore him Harry." Hermione quickly said

"Yeah, he's a moron mate." Dean agreed, rolling his eyes.

"Want me to take a chunk out of his leg?" Linus was still growling.

Hermione started at him stunned. Harry shook his head, smiling with half extended fangs.

"If that's how you to play Malfoy, you should start sleeping with one eye open from now on." Harry smiled at him.

Malfoy looked startled and just about ran for the door with Crabbe and Goyle trailing behind him. Hermione slapped Harry's arm.

"Harry!" She admonished him

"What? He deserved it" He shrugged

The others around them were just about in hysterics after Malfoy fled the room.

"I've never seen Malfoy run so fast!" Seamus chocked out.

* * *

Later that night, after the other boys had finally fallen asleep around midnight, one Hogwarts student was still very awake. Harry had left the dormitory silently through a window in desperate need to stretch his wings and for blood, even through sitting through dinner tonight had made him rather queasy. He wasn't hunting to far from the school grounds tonight; in fact he was currently lounging against a tree in the forest licking his lips and pleasantly full after three deer. Not the best meal, but it would do until he visited a city somewhere during the week.

He still wasn't sure how he felt about being back at Hogwarts, after what happened last year. He was nervous on the train hiding in his cloak, he felt on edge as if someone was going to run in the compartment with a stake. But after meeting all his friends again, talking and laughing with them, his nerves had disappeared. He was actually looking forward to classes again. Harry felt himself smile, and then frowned sadly as he thought of Evangeline.

He hoped she would be alright without him. It might sound ridiculous, Evangeline had lived without him and been fine before, but lately she worried him. He had never seen her cry once, now it seems every second day she was staining his shirts with saltwater, the pressure finally getting to her. Evangeline had started locking herself in her bedroom not letting anyone through the door (literally through the door, she put some type of potion on the wood) until he and Roland managed to get a window open and flew through it with Roland's father. Dimetria and Vladimir continually tried to reassure her that no one was forcing her to do anything she didn't want to do yet. Evangeline believed she was too young for that type of responsibility; she wasn't ready for her mother to step down.

Dimetria wasn't sure what to do. She knew her place was at Arcana Agedis with her people, but lately she felt she also needed to be there for Remus and Alinta. She knew putting her only child through this was unfair; she was at a lost to know how to fix this mess. It wasn't supposed to happen like this!

Harry shook his head and wondered how Remus was handling all the dramas with his new position and office, he hadn't seen his old professor since his wedding to Tonks. There were still some witches and wizards that wouldn't accept the new truth about vampires and the new tolerance of werewolves (it was now illegal to discriminate against werewolves). Daily protest marches proved how set in the old ways some people still seem to be. Voldemort was still in the back of everyone's minds, like a constant waking nightmare.

The inky black sky had started to lighten while he had been in his tree; most of the stars had disappeared. It was probably time to head back. Stretching his wings, he leapt off the tree in a freefall closing his eyes and smiling at the sensation. Just meters from the ground he pulled himself out of the freefall rising quickly up and out of the trees heading back for the Gryffindor tower. Wheeling around the tower he noticed an open window in the common room, he was sure nobody had opened the window when he left the, air was so cold. He landed on the narrow sill curiously looking around, his sharp eyes not missing a thing. A figure was sitting with its back to window staring into the roaring fire wrapped in a fine midnight blue cloak, messy and dull auburn curls hanging around their face. As Harry walked toward the fire, the figure turned to look at him with amber eyes red rimmed from crying.

"Evangeline? What are you doing here?"

* * *

A/n: *fanfare plays* I give you all a start for the sqeuel....FINALLY!!!! Talk about marathon, you wouldn't believe the amount of rewrites for this. But its here and i hope you liked it!! - _FFF_


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